Representative Mike Kelly questioning the IRS Acting Director Steven Miller today chews out the Director, and so perfectly says what most Americans think about this scandal that the audience in an unprecedented (the President's favorite adjective) hearing event spontaneously gave him a standing ovation. You have to see this.
 Liberals already hate him and moderates fear him. So what do you think of freshman senator Ted Cruz running for the presidency in 2016? Word is percolating up that he’s considering it according to this National Review Online article. The article finds good support as to why this Tea Party candidate would be a strong challenger for the job.
 A major portion of the FY14 Manassas City budget increase is driven by infrastructure modernization. The city's Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) effort identifies and plans on major construction to schools, city infrastructure like sewer systems, parks, roads, and the Manassas airport for the next five years. The current plan involves over one hundred projects which incurs over $400 million in debt. Incremental property tax increases of several percent each year over five years were originally proposed by the City Manager to support all of these projects. The complete CIP as originally proposed is HERE. However, on March 23 the City Council in a 4-1 vote decided to advertise a rate for FY14 alone which is 16% greater than the current recently higher assessed property tax rate. See our March 24 blog post below for further details.
Meanwhile taxpayers observed the proceedings of the CIP and the FY14 budget and were very concerned. Manassas Tea Party members and other outraged citizens had called and emailed City Council, attended work sessions and spoken out at Citizens' Time to make it clear that the timing for a big tax increase in the city couldn't be much worse. To drive home the point, a petition with well over 200 signatures was collected and delivered to Council on April 1, which essentially said, "No more new taxes!"
In subsequent work sessions the Council eliminated from the CIP only one major construction effort – a fire station, and Public Schools decided to lease space instead of building a new Administration building. So from what started out as literally a “wish-list” of 106 projects, the Council ever-mindful of the concerns of the taxpayer carefully scrubbed the list and eliminated 2 projects! Then on April 3 the Council in either defiance or a terrible case of tone-deafness voted 4-2 to propose a 10.4% tax increase, approving taxing residents for the entire CIP in the first year, rather than over a five year span. Besides being terrible for taxpayers this idea of front loading all the costs of the CIP in the first year is risky and unnecessary. See the “Did You Know” for details.
 According to a new study by the George Mason University’s Mercatus Center Virginia residents enjoy significantly more freedoms than Marylanders. In fact in the Freedom in the 50 States study Virginia does pretty well at #8 overall, while “Free State” Maryland, is anything but coming in at #44.
The study examines fiscal, regulatory, and personal freedoms, which researchers determine by scoring over 200 policies looking at factors such as tax burden, tort abuse, and gun control laws. According to Professor William Ruger, co-author of the study the commonwealth scored well because it is a right-to-work state, and because it’s “tort system is one of the best in the country.” It allows residents to openly carry firearms and its 30 cents-per-pack cigarette tax is the lowest in the nation.
Which states are the most free? The Dakotas are #1 and #2. The least free? By far it was New York. So relatively speaking we are better off than most states. Feel the freedom!
Read the Washington Examiner article on the study HERE, or HERE is the website on the study with lots of quick, easy to read maps and charts.
 Apparently meant to be an honor, but it seems humorously ironic, a small species of trapdoor spider has been named for our 44th president. The Barack Obama spider Aptostichus barackobamai is one of 33 new species of spiders identified here in America. Found in the southwest states, this spider is rarely seen because they live in burrows underground. As their name suggests, they build protective trapdoors made from soil, sand and silk, which they hide behind, waiting to pounce on passing prey. Read more HERE.
As indicated in this article and on our front page Manassas City Council is advertising a massive tax increase. In simple math, the advertised rate will increase your already high property taxes about $1 per thousand of your property’s assessed value. This advertised tax rate represents about a 16% hike, and coupled with recent increased property assessments the tax impact will be major! Please note this is a tax rate to be advertised, it legally cannot go higher, but the Council may decide to lower it. The driver for this potential tax increase is Manassas City Council voted 4-1 to accelerate the five-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) tax burden. Read HERE where a local blogger completely destroys the premise that accelerating the tax increase will actually save money.
How are you going to pay even more taxes when you consider recent additional taxes being levied on everyone's payroll; impending Obamacare health care costs increases; Virginia passing the largest tax increase in history; high unemployment, and; the devastation of Sequestration on citizens in this area? We support essential city CIP infrastructure improvements, but only what can be executed without raising taxes.
We Are Taxed Enough Already!
When the InsideNova news article appeared this was the reaction by the citizens.
Are you as mad as these citizens? We urge city residents to contact the Mayor and City Council and let them know this is not the time for a massive tax increase. You may reach all of them through a common email address
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There is usually a price to pay for going against your parties’ fundamental principles. Governor Bob McDonnell is learning that, and some on the Manassas City Council best learn some lessons as well. So ticked off are Virginia Tea Party folks at Governor McDonnell for breaking his promise to never raise taxes by orchestrating the largest Virginia tax increase, that they have launched a TV ad campaign against him. But you won’t see the ads around here. The ads are airing in Iowa and New Hampshire, which are early Presidential primary states, blasting McDonnell who is expected to make a 2016 Presidential run. “Don’t be fooled” and “you can’t believe a word he says” Virginia Tea Party Federation co-founder Jamie Radtke indicates in the voice over of the ad. Here is the ad:
 This year’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) produced as always lots of great speeches by America’s conservatives. If you missed seeing some of the best you can catch them here.
Sarah Palin (with intro by Ted Cruz)
Dr. Ben Carson of the National Prayer Breakfast fame
Ken Cuccinelli (he was the kickoff speaker, so it was early and folks were not warmed up)
Lt. Col. Allen West
Marco Rubio
Rand Paul
Rick Perry
Some people NOT invited to CPAC were Governor Bob McDonnell and Chris Christie. I wonder why?
Whether it be the White House tours or ICE releasing illegal aliens, more and more it is being shown that the Administration is not telling the truth when it comes to the impact of Sequestration. Here is the latest case. Enter Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD), a doctor from Baltimore in a House Appropriations Committee subcommittee hearing, questions Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Director Thomas Frieden about the impact sequester cuts will have on health care. The White House had put out a completely fraudulent number about vaccinations and diseases and kids that wouldn't be treated if the sequester happened. And Rep. Andy Harris called him on it. Here's how it went.
 Ravens Super Champ quarterback Joe Flacco recently signed a contract that makes him the highest paid player in the NFL at $120.6 million for a 6 year deal. But Flacco lives in the People’s Republic of Maryland where taxes are plentiful. So once the tax bite takes a big hunk out of that take home pay Flacco slips down to #2 behind Drew Brees. Had he lived in tax friendlier states like Texas, Florida, and Tennessee he would still be #1. The Americans for Tax Reform has the full story HERE.
Senator Ted Cruz in a recent hearing questioned Attorney General Eric Holder on the constitutionality of killing American citizens with drones on U.S. soil. Cruz , who graduated from Harvard Law School just like President Obama, clerked under Supreme Court judge Rehnquist, and has argued and won cases in the Supreme Court, shows the Attorney General is not going to be able to “weasel-word” his way out of answering the question of constitutionality. This is a classic.
In a survey of 827 Prince William County citizens a whopping 69.9% of respondents indicated they favored the Flat Tax Bill with no tax increases as proposed by Supervisor Pete Candland and Chairman Corey Stewart. The County Executive’s proposed plan which would require a 4% increase in taxes attracted only 20.4% of voters, and Supervisors Jenkins/Principi plan with a 12% increase in property taxes received 5.8% of voters.
With such a large response and commanding results county supervisors would best heed their constituents wishes or pay the price at the ballot box. Additionally, as Prince William surrounds Manassas city, and city and county tax rates are similar, chances are if Manassas City residents were survyed they would produce comparable results. The Manassas City Council should pay attention to these results as well as they are looking at raising taxes even higher than the largest Prince William tax plan at 16% for FY14. Full details on the survey by the Sheriff of Nottingham HERE.
 Bob McDonnell after promising when he ran for governor he would never raise taxes proceeded to push the Republican-controlled General Assembly and make terrible deals with Democratic legislators on Medicaid expansion which led to the Assembly approving the largest Virginia tax increase in history of $6.1 billion. So much for being fiscally conservative! His sell out caused national distain with pundits like Rush Limbaugh, Mark Levin, and Sean Hannity all being critical of his efforts. Among the tax hikes in this bill:
- Sales tax hike from 5 to 5.3 percent
- Additional sales tax hike of .7 percent in Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia
- Personal property tax hike from 3.5 percent to 4.3 percent
- Tangible personal property tax hike to 5 percent
- 3 percent Northern Virginia hotel tax
- Diesel tax hike from 17.5 cents per gallon to 6 percent tax on wholesale diesel, roughly a 5 cent per gallon increase
- Car tax hike from 3 percent to 4 percent in 2013, 4.1 percent in 2014, 4.2 percent in 2015, and 4.3 percent in 2016
The Americans for Tax Reform indicated: “This was not a compromise. It was a surrender of principle and policy. There were no spending cuts or tough choices. This was Bob McDonnell and some Republican Delegates and Senators, in league with almost all Democrats, betraying Virginia taxpayers.”
Conservatives should read an excellent Red State article HERE detailing the backstory and identifying General Assembly Republicans that joined in the betrayal.
This year’s State of the Union response on Tuesday will get a double helping of the Tea Party. The Republican response will be given by Tea Party favorite Senator Marcio Rubio. Of note is Senator Rubio will give his response in English and Spanish. Since Senator Rubio is expected to speak on immigration, the Spanish version should be of interest to Hispanics.
Meanwhile immediately following the Republican response the Tea Party’s response to the State of the Union address will be given by Kentucky Senator Rand Paul. It is unknown if cable or networks will carry the Tea Party response which will be delivered at the National Press Club but the Tea Party Express will be streaming it live from it’s website. See it HERE.
Here is a very funny parody of the God Made a Farmer commercial first seen during the Super Bowl. It’s So God Made a Liberal. Enjoy.
 Seems like only yesterday President Obama said the cost of health care would GO DOWN by $1,500 a year under Obamacare. Then after it passed some guesses on the real cost, which of course was greater than our current health care cost. Now word comes from the Internal Revenue Service as they are creating their 2016 tax calculations that under Obamacare the cheapest health insurance plan available for a family in 2016 will cost $20,000 a year! That is not a typo.
$20,000!!!
Are you ready for that along with all the other Federal, State, County and City tax hikes? Read more about this unbelievable health care cost HERE.
 On February 12 Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli is releasing a book The Last Line of Defense - The New Fight for American Liberty. The book is described by the publisher thus:
“With Obamacare and agencies like the EPA, the FCC, and the National Labor Relations Board attempting to exercise unprecedented control over the American people, the Obama Administration was breaking federal laws, ignoring federal courts, and violating the Constitution to achieve its goals of redistributing wealth, concentrating power in Washington, and rewarding its supporters.
Without enough lawmakers in Washington devoted to protecting the rule of law to stop the federal government's liberty-stealing power grab, the battle had to be waged in an unprecedented way: from the states -- just as our Founding Fathers intended.
The man who led the charge was Ken Cuccinelli, the first state attorney general to argue in federal court against Obamacare, an unapologetic defender of the Constitution, and a man admirers and detractors alike said "was tea party long before there was a Tea Party."”
The book provides a behind-the-scenes, plain-spoken account of the myriad of legal battles in which states have pushed back against what they believe are federal abuses of power. The book also describes why the Founding Fathers created a federal government of limited powers and why constitutional limits on that power are still important today – to protect liberty.
Read a full account of the book HERE, and advance order and see a preview on Amazon HERE.
 By hook or crook the Obama administration is trying to get its way. Recall the Citizens United Supreme Court ruling that said corporations and unions could not have limits placed on their political expenditures, and have to disclose political contributions. Unable to ram through legislation in Congress to require limits and disclose the Obama administration is bypassing Congress and is attempting to use regulation to get its way.
The Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Corporate Finance has begun the steps necessary to create a regulation that would in many ways mirror the DISCLOSE Act — a bill Senate Democrats have failed to pass through Congress. But like a spoiled child the administration has indicated they would use any means including constitutional amendment to change the court decision.
Fighting back against this first amendment right infringement is Senator Mitch McConnell. Saying the president is attempting to “silence [his] critics” and “there are few rights more sacred than those protected by our First Amendment.” “This action would be a direct assault on those rights, which is one of the chief reasons Congress has defeated similar proposals multiple times,” he indicated. Read the full story HERE.
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On the fourth ballot in a long Virginia Republican convention E.W. Jackson takes the nomination as Virginia’s GOP Lieutenant Governor candidate. Jackson who dislikes racial politics received the largest response of the day from convention delegates when he told them: “I’m no African-American, I’m an American!” Details on his selection and the convention are available in this article, which indicates the Ken Cuccinelli candidacy, and now E.W. Jackson selection “cements the tea party’s takeover of the state GOP apparatus.” 
